WHAT DO YOU FEAR THE MOST ABOUT A TRUMP PRESIDENCY?

Following the results of the 2016 Presidential elections, I felt angry. I felt sad. Upset that 50% of people in this country didn't vote. I felt I was in a nightmare, waiting to wake up.

I explored and eventually conceived a project about mothers with babies around the same age as my daughter, Pia, and asking them how they felt about the election results. I interviewed these moms just days after the election and asked them what they feared most about a Trump presidency.

Amanda and Anya

"I would say the biggest shock for me is not necessarily Trump himself (although that's pretty damn scary). What scares me most is that so many people actually voted for him. The fact that so many Americans are just as sexist, racist, homophobic, and, well, uneducated, is the scary part for me. I don't want to believe that we live in a world full of people who basically have so much hatred in them."

Amy and Tillie

"That kindness will not prevail, and that we will not govern for the benefit of our children and all children."

Anne and Greta

"Right now, the overall unrest in this country - it's essential to remain aware, alert and active right now but I fear violent opposition. That people eventually will accept what the election results mean and let the media continue to lead them into apathy. That the political system will not change. That important protections and social services will be canceled."

Caroline and Alice

"A Trump presidency is terrifying in so many ways. I'm scared of history repeating itself and I'm scared of unprecedented damage that we can't yet imagine. His presidency threatens our economy and international relations, absolutely, but I most fear his inevitable assault on (and if he has his way, decimation of) any group of people he doesn't like - immigrants, Muslims, people of color, LGBT identifying folks, women, the disabled... It scares me that he appropriates whatever values are convenient for him to have in that moment. His Supreme Court picks could shatter decades of progress for civil and women's rights and the environment. Now, with Trump about to take office, people who maybe only recently felt valued or equal under the law and by others in society are now given the message that actually, they don't matter. They're less American. And if Trump so decides, they could be in danger. It's horrifying. He has ignited so much hate. And now this rage and disgust is directed toward so many different people and groups. It seems like every day new targets are revealed... it seems like everything is at stake."

Heidi and Vivian

"I feel that he doesn’t have the experience or temperament for the role. I’m afraid that the wrong issues will be focused on and progress in terms of women’s rights, environmental issues etc. will be stalled or regress. I’m afraid that someone in his position making racist, sexist and xenophobic statements will empower other people to thinks its ok for them to as well."

Helena and Eddie

"So much, but I guess what it all boils down to is how he has justified a culture of hatred and inequality. Me and my daughter are women, Mexicans and Jews, a make up I have always embraced and been proud of. I hope that in these times I can instill that pride, without fear, in her as well. I'm also incredibly fearful of his supreme court appointees and the long term effects they will have on our country."

Joy and Cora

"I'm afraid of how this presidency may give people license to hate. I am all for freedom of expression, but as a new mom I feel incredibly on guard to protect my family more so now. I grew up in a very racially blended family and we are spread out throughout the US and I wonder how it will affect them and how much good work Trump could possibly undo. My grandfather also served in the Army (Korean and Vietnam Wars) and some of the segregation stories of how my mother grew up still stick with me. I think about how backwards it must have felt then to have my grandfather fight for a country that barely fought for him. What happens to all of that now?"

Kristin and Lucas

"In addition to his disgusting outlook on the people in this country, I'm particularly frightened by the "brain trust" he's assembling throughout the branches of our Government to help "Make America Great Again"."

Lauren and Quinn

"I can’t say there is one fear alone. I fear the Trump will feed this countries xenophobia putting those who are not white (the majority of America) in danger or isolation. I also fear that his presidency is going to create a safe zone for “lock room talk” and set feminism back decades. I fear that his current verbal retributions will transform with executive power into physical vengeance through the agencies he controls."

"I'm afraid because I think we've taken a giant step backwards for human rights. The hate and discrimination encouraged by Trump during his campaign does not bode well for our future. Not to mention Bannon's anti-women's rights, neo-Nazi beliefs. Being Jewish, I was raised learning about the Holocaust and how we can never let anything like that happen again. Now I'm terrified to raise my daughter in a world where people are beating up minorities in the streets in the name of Trump. I'm genuinely concerned for my Muslim friends as several of them have already been the victims of hateful acts in the past couple weeks. I'm also worried about healthcare and organizations like Planned Parenthood."

Lisel and Louie

"Every moment it’s different. Sometimes it’s selfish things, like my little family; our health insurance, getting a loan to someday buy a house. The overarching fear is the culture that my little baby boy will grow up in. Fear that my neighbors will be harassed and forced to become isolated. Fear for my fellow women, that our rights will be compromised, and the culture we’ve fought so hard for will be trampled; that we are equal and that our bodies are not for the indulgence of others. Fear that the divide and compartmentalization of our country that he’s established will continue to become wider and wider creating more anger and violence. Fear Police States and 2nd amendment rights will dominate. Fear that minorities will continue to be disenfranchised. The dread deepens as we watch who he’s installing in the white house, and witness his flamboyant statements and wavering ideas as he’s moving towards the White House. In every scenario there is so much anxiety and concern: our family, our city, our country, our world, our planet. But then I think, I’m giving this fear so much power. And I feel inspired to ensure that none of this happens. We are still the country we were before the election. And those of us on the right side of history, the majority of our country, didn’t just poof into thin air. We’re all here, and more driven to ensure that our people and planet are protected."

Marissa and Izzy

"There are so many things I'm afraid of. On a personal level I am afraid of losing my insurance coverage for my family. I'm afraid of losing the right to make decisions about my own body. I'm afraid that I won't be able to afford very necessary women's healthcare. I'm afraid of violence towards people that I love and care about. On a social level I am afraid of losing all the progress that we have made towards human rights. I'm afraid things like racism, sexism, and homophobia will become the norm. I'm afraid of what damage will be done to this country environmentally, economically, and socially. I'm afraid of riots and violence on both sides of the issue. I'm afraid of what our global relationships will be like at the end of this 4 year term. I'm most afraid of the effects this moment in time will have on this world 30-40 years from now when my son is an adult. What have I brought him into and what are we leaving him?"

Melissa and Leo

"Where do I even begin? It's not that I disapprove of him because I'm a woman or because I'm a minority -- after all, I am in some of the most privileged of those categories. I'm highly educated, upper-middle class, Asian-American. I live in a bubble (Brooklyn) and work in a bubble (I'm the founder of a company). So many other factions of this country are being targeted in much more dangerous ways right now. I disapprove of him because he is not fit to be President and great leaders are self-aware enough to know their weaknesses, in addition to their strengths. They select fantastic talent. They are humble. They are uniting and inspiring. Donald Trump is none of these things and he doesn't believe that rules apply to him. That is scary on every single level possible."

Michelle and Petra

"I'm not just afraid of Trump himself, rather everyone everyone he is surrounding himself with. He's arrogant, unqualified and lacks basic human decency. I worry that he is going to set this country back 50 years on just about every front. I'm most worried about climate change, immigrant rights, civil rights and women's rights. I'm also deeply disturbed by the attitudes and behaviors of the people he has rallied around him. He has incited and cultivated hate within some very desperate and frustrated people. I really fear their actions now that they feel empowered by having him as president."

Sandy and Jasper

"Everything. His foreign policy. His economic agenda. His lack of environmental concern. His childish behaviors. His inability to take criticism and understand our first amendment rights to freedom of speech. The biggest fear is if things do not go his way due to his poor decisions how he will react. Will he begin pointing fingers at minority groups and create a hate campaign? The thought just makes me sick."

Sarah and Remy

"There are two things that scare me the most about a Trump presidency: one is his unpredictability - he is willing to say whatever is most politically expedient even if it is bigoted, fear-mongering, or just generally mean without considering the implications of his words and actions. There is too much at stake - rapid climate change and potential nuclear proliferation are the two that scare me the most - for him to be so careless. Two is that in using such vile rhetoric to rile up voters, he has emboldened a good portion of the population to be their worst selves, to act out of anger, hate, and fear instead of compassion and empathy."

Tammy and Zoe

"Rise of hate crimes/harassment/racism. Loss of basic human rights."

Catalina and Pia

"What scares me the most about a Trump presidency is his attitude towards women and minorities. The man DOES NOT READ BOOKS. The man talks about grabbing women "by the pussy". He has no respect for human beings. It's terrifying to be living in this day and age. My family fled Hungary after the revolution and went to Venezuela. We saw the writing on that wall and emigrated to the United States - and now we have Trump as our leader and he wants to take away basic female rights and defund organizations like Planned Parenthood? He is constantly telling lies and what's even more scarier is that people believe him."